Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30160168›Full record

Trial reportCartilage2019

Quantitative T2 MRI Mapping and 12-Month Follow-up in a Randomized, Blinded, Placebo Controlled Trial of Bone Marrow Aspiration and Concentration for Osteoarthritis of the Knees.

Shane A Shapiro, Jennifer R Arthurs, Michael G Heckman, Joseph M Bestic, Shari E Kazmerchak, Nancy N Diehl, Abba C Zubair, Mary I O'Connor

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Cartilage, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
43citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
8.1field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

43 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis of the knee.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
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  6. Review
  7. Adipose-derived and bone marrow aspirate concentrate injections for osteoarthritis: A scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
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  11. Article
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  15. Advanced Non-Operative Interventions for Anterior Knee Pain.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2024
    Review
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  17. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Shane A ShapiroDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Jennifer R ArthursDivision of Transplant Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Michael G HeckmanDivision of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Joseph M BesticDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Shari E KazmerchakDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Nancy N DiehlDivision of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Abba C ZubairDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Mary I O'ConnorDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1435-653X
WinnMed · USMayo Clinic in Florida · USYale New Haven Hospital · US

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveBone marrow aspiration and concentration (BMAC) is becoming a more common regenerative therapy for musculoskeletal pathology. In our current pilot study, we studied patients with mild-to-moderate bilateral knee osteoarthritis, compared pain at 12-month follow-up between BMAC-injected and saline-injected knees, and examined cartilage appearance measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 quantitative mapping.

designTwenty-five patients with mild-to-moderate bilateral osteoarthritic knee pain were randomized to receive BMAC into one knee and saline placebo into the other. Bone marrow was aspirated from the iliac crests, concentrated in an automated centrifuge, combined with platelet-poor plasma for knee injection, and compared with saline injection into the contralateral knee. Primary outcome measures were T2 MRI cartilage mapping at 6-month and Visual Analog Scale and Osteoarthritis Research Society International Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain scores and radiographs at 12-month follow-up.

resultsConstant, intermittent, and overall knee pain remained significantly decreased from baseline at 12-month follow-up (all

conclusionsBMAC is safe to perform and relieves pain from knee arthritis but showed no superiority to saline injection at 12-month follow-up. MRI cartilage sequences failed to show regenerative benefit with single BMAC injection. The mechanisms of action that led to pain relief remain unclear and warrant further studies.

Indexed as

AdultAgedBone Marrow TransplantationFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansInjections, Intra-ArticularKnee JointMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedOsteoarthritis, KneePainPain ManagementPain MeasurementPilot ProjectsBMACbone marrowdegenerative joint diseaseknee osteoarthritisMRIMSCstem cellsT2 mapping

Identifiers

PMID30160168
PMCPMC6755869
OpenAlexW2889446144

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.